Maj. Gen. Diana M. Holland assumed command of the Mississippi Valley Division (MVD), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), June 30, 2020. She also serves as president of the Mississippi River Commission.
Holland serves as the senior military officer in the division, headquartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi, responsible for water resources engineering solutions in a 370,000-square-mile area, extending from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and encompassing portions of 12 states. The mission of the division is to serve the Mississippi Valley region by providing vital public engineering services and stewardship of water resource infrastructure, partnering in peace and war, to strengthen our nation’s security, energize the economy and reduce risks from disasters. The division’s work is carried out by district offices located in St. Paul, Minnesota; Rock Island, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and New Orleans, Louisiana.
Prior to coming to MVD, Maj. Gen. Holland served as Commander of the South Atlantic Division (SAD), USACE. During her command, Maj. Gen. Holland oversaw an annual program of $4 to 7 billion to plan, design and construct projects to support the military, the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies, protect America’s water resources, mitigate risk from disasters, and restore and enhance the environment. She also led SAD’s response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and Hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018.
Other previous assignments include Commandant of Cadets at the United States Military Academy, West Point; Deputy Commanding General for 10th Mountain Division (LI) at Fort Drum, New York, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan; executive officer to the Director of the Army Staff at the Pentagon; commander of the 130th Engineer Brigade at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and Joint Task Force Sapper in Afghanistan; United States Army War College Fellow at Georgetown University; commander of the 92nd Engineer Battalion (Black Diamonds) and Task Force Diamond in Afghanistan; plans officer in the Operations Directorate, United States Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida; operations officer in the 92nd Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy); division plans officer for the 3rd Infantry Division, and Operation Iraqi Freedom 3; battalion logistics officer and then commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 30th Engineer Battalion (Topographic), 20th Engineer Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; company executive officer and battalion assistant operations officer in the 94th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) in Germany; and vertical construction platoon leader in the 79th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), in Germany and many other command and staff assignments worldwide.
Maj. Gen. Holland is a native of Santa Barbara, California. She graduated from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers in 1990. She earned a Master of Arts degree at Duke University and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies.
Maj. Gen. Holland’s military awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with one Oak Leaf Cluster), Legion of Merit (with one Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with four Oak Leaf Clusters), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Army Superior Unit Award, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal (NATO) medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Senior Parachutist Badge, the German Parachutist Badge and the Silver Order of the de Fleury Medal. She was also recently chosen as a Women Making a Mark Honoree by Atlanta Magazine in 2018.